Recovery? Vision gives mixed signals
Machine vision is expanding into new areas
By Ann R. Thryft, Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 2/1/2010 2:00:00 AM
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Although some pundits are talking about an economic recovery, reading the tea leaves for machine vision produces mixed results. Research firm Strategies Unlimited predicts that once the final numbers are in, worldwide image sensor shipments will have experienced an unprecedented 30% downturn during 2009, an indication of what happens in vision when the whole world stops buying products that must be manufactured and inspected. Although the firm forecasts a return to growth in 2010, this sharp decline occurs after more than a decade of continuous growth.
But machine vision is expanding into new areas. In photovoltaic crystalline-silicon solar manufacturing, the economic downturn has spurred competition among both wafer fabs and solar-cell manufacturers to produce higher-quality, more efficient products, instead of focusing mainly on getting volumes out the door (Inspection, metrology solar tools evolve). Since solar-cell manufacturing hasn't depended much on automation, machine vision, or metrology and yield-management tools, there's room for expansion to help boost product quality. And more and better inspection will be needed for newer processes such as multilayer screen printing, while more intelligent use of data can help improve and refine processes. Meanwhile, the glut in solar panels is lifting and growth continues, which should mean more opportunities for machine-vision and inspection technologies.
Contact Ann R. Thryft at ann@tmworld.com.
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